J-Man General Surgery is often considered to be the best Carcass clone ever, and that is mostly (if not entirely) due to this cult classic EP. Necrology, which was originally released back in 1991, is a highly celebrated release that has a "legendary" status in grindcore circles. These Swedish legends later re-formed to release more material, but Necrology is still widely considered their most important and essential release. Although I personally only enjoy the release in small quantities, I've had a good time experiencing Necrology, and would recommend it to anyone who wants a short and not-so-sweet grindcore blast!

General Surgery plays a style of grindcore/goregrind/death metal in the vein of early Carcass. The vocal style is extremely varied, and ranges from death growls, high pitched screams, and a variety of other noises that would be extremely difficult to type out. The instrumental aspect of the album isn't too interesting or varied - fat guitar riffs and blast beats dominate most of the release. With the original release clocking in at just over 15 minutes, Necrology certainly doesn't fall into the trap of being too long for its own good. This EP is short, heavy as hell, and powerful throughout its duration. The raw and unpolished production also helps emphasize this point. You'll able to hear everything clearly and, although it is clearly not the most hi-fi piece of music out there, it suits General Surgery's style of music well.

The 2011 Relapse reissue of the album contains three bonus demo tracks, all of which are inferior to the versions on the original EP. This reissue may only be worth re-buying if you're a die-hard fan of General Surgery, otherwise the bonus material isn't strong enough to warrant a re-purchase. People who missed getting this the first time around, however, will probably want to check it out since this reissue is the best version of Necrology out there.

Although I may not entirely agree with all of the praise this EP seems to receive, it's still a quality grindcore release worthy of 2.5 - 3 stars. Anyone who wants to understand anything about extreme metal should hear this EP at some point or another, but from a subjective point of view I can think of plenty of better grindcore releases to recommend.

UMUR Necrology is an EP release by Swedish death/ goregrind act General Surgery. The EP was released in November 1991 by Relapse Records. The CD version of the EP contains 7 tracks while the 7" Vinyl version only contains 5 tracks. Three demos had been released by the band in 1990, but Necrology was their first "official" release and also the only release before they split-up. The members have since been part of other prolific Swedish death metal and grindcoreacts such as Dismember, Afflicted, Crematory and Regurgitate. The band reformed again in the early 00s and have been putting out a string of releases since 2003. Necrology is one of those "cult" releases you´ll read about and wonder why you never heard.

The music on the EP, which is over in 15:35 minutes, is death/ goregrind in the tradition of early Carcass. General Surgery is probably one of the earliest examples of a Carcass clone. The vocals are the typical imitation of early Carcass too with one high pitched sneering vocal type, one deep growling vocal type and one gurgling vocal type. The song titles are of course ridiculously long and filled with strange gory imagery like Slithering Maceration Of Ulcerous Facial Tissue and The Succulent Aftermath Of A Subdural Hemorrhage. So while there are nods toward old school Swedish death metal in the music too, you shouldn´t expect anything original from this release. These are just a bunch of guys who came together to share their affection for Carcass and ended up releasing the stuff they wrote.

The production thankfully means that you´re able to hear what´s going on most of the time, so while it´s pretty lo-fi in nature, it suits the music perfectly.

Necrology is a very celebrated release in goregrind circles, but personally my enjoyment is limited. I much prefer some of the stuff the band have released since their reformation. A 2.5 star rating is warranted.